Fiery Tears
by Owen Marx
Summary: After meeting a strange man at the local discount store Halence works at, she finds herself captured by the seemingly psychotic and creepy man. But apparently he has plans for her, plans she may not like. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Halence sat on the tall metal stool behind the counter, glaring at the cash register before her. For the umpteenth time today, it had refused to open; leaving her frustrated enough to consider bashing the confounded thing with a sledgehammer. She had only been working at the local discount store for a matter of a few weeks, but already she was fed up with the rude customers, the faulty equipment, and her over-sized, over-paid, over-egotistic boss. If she hadn't desperately needed the money, she would have burned the place to the ground with a smile on her face. But as it was, she _did_ need the money, more than she needed her sanity, and so she bit back the sarcastic remark that rose to her lips as the woman on the other side of the counter tapped her foot impatiently.

"Is this going to take much longer? I have a previous engagement."

'_Yeah, and I have a mom to get back to whose probably already lying on the floor in her own vomit.'_ Halence thought rudely.

But she kept her mouth shut and smiled.

"Just a moment ma'am, I'm having some trouble getting the cash register to open."

"Well is there anyway you can get it to open more quickly? I really can't be late."

Halence couldn't help but wonder where the woman, dressed in a pine-striped suite with four-inch high heels, was planning on spending her night. The first image that popped into her head was a business appointment, one where everyone would be wearing stiff-suites and drinking water from wine glasses. But after she looked at her watch, she wondered what kind of business meeting would take place at 2:30 in the morning. A party perhaps? It was impossible for Halence to guess. Instead, she grabbed the screwdriver from underneath the counter and jammed it into the side of the register, effectively prying open the drawer. She counted out the woman's change and handed it to her, secretly hoping the woman's night would go better than Halence's.

As the door closed behind the black and gold heels, another customer stepped up to the register. This one was a man, only a handful of inches taller than Halence herself, whose blonde hair hung in a water-fall effect to the end of his chin. His eyes were dark, his expression stern and statue-like. The over all effect, though handsome as he was, sent a sickening chill through her core that caused goose bumps to slither down her arms. She was grateful for the length of her curled brown hair, which hid the raised pores on her limbs.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Halence tried to sound cheery, as she did with all her customers, despite the creepy feeling emanating from the man in front of her.

He set a package of paper plates down on the counter, and Halence picked it up to scan it. The man just stared at her as she worked, his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Reading the screen of the register, Halence told him the amount, and quickly returned the change, eager to have him out of her space. Throwing the package into a yellow, plastic bag, she handed it to him, hoping it would shoo him away.

It didn't instead he took the package and continued to stand there, continued to stare. Halence wasn't entirely sure how to handle the situation. Should she clear her throat and hope that brought him out of his trance-like state? Should she ignore him and hope instead that he simply walked away?

She didn't do either, instead, she stared back.

When he finally spoke, his voice was deep and gravelly, though held complete assertion and demanded respect.

"What's your name?"

Resorting back to her sarcastic nature, Halence pointed to her name tag with a smile.

"Halence McCartly? Pretty name. I hope to see you again soon Halence."

And with that, he turned and walked out of the crummy discount store, and, as

Halence hoped, out of her life.

Later that night as Halence was leaving the store, she tried desperately to forget the odd man who had entered the store and attempted to challenge her to a staring contest. Instead, she began to wonder about the condition she would find her mother and father in. The night before, she had lucked out. It had been one of those rare occasions when her father had gone to work; her mother had sat in front of the TV. without a bottle in her hand, and Halence had come home to find that both of them had managed to find their way to their bed. She herself had been able to go to bed as well without having to do any cleaning or heavy lifting. She half-hoped tonight would be the same, but the strongest fantasy wouldn't squash out logic. She would not be able to go home to her bed.

As she began the three-quarter mile walk to her house in the relative silence of the city, she took out her very old, very ghetto tape player and listened to the classic rock roaring through the cheap headphones, trying to block out all emotions and thoughts from within her.

As the last song finished and Halence took the tape out to turn it over, she heard something coming from behind her. She turned to see who it was, (curiosity often got the better of her). She wasn't as surprised as she should be when she realized that no one was there. After deducing the sound to that of rats, she turned around. She bumped into someone standing directly in front of her, and looking up into their face she realized it was the man from the store.

"Sleep."

And with that, she passed out.


	2. Authors Note

Alright people, here's the jist. I have the next chapter ready to go. But here's the catch: i've decided that i will refrain from posting any chapter untill i get at least 3 reviews.

Sorry, but a girls gotta have something to go on.

SOOOOO.....if u want the next chapter, send me a review.

Thanx.

Owen Marx


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note: It occurred to me that some of you may be mispronouncing Halence's name, due to the fact that I failed to inform you of the correct pronunciation. So here it is:**

**Halence: **_Hey-Lence (kind of like fence but w/ an l)_

**So there it is. Also, I decided to update, regardless of the fact that I haven't gotten any reviews, as it would seem I'm not entirely certain as to how to receive them. But I'm on it, so cha. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!!!**

**Owen Marx**

When Halence woke up from her pitch into the blackness, she found she was in the backseat of a moving vehicle. From the interior, it looked to be an SUV of some sort, the windows tinted so heavily that she couldn't see beyond the black glass. To be perfectly truthful, she was surprised the man behind the wheel was able to well enough to keep the car on the road.

She should have been freaking out, being kidnapped should do that to a person, but she either didn't have the energy or she was too numb to care. Either way, the sight of the strange man from the discount store sitting in the drivers seat didn't send the expected shiver of fear down her spine, or raise goose bumps on her forearms, and when he spoke, her stomach didn't clench in mortified anticipation.

"I see you're awake." He said, though his eyes stayed on the road.

Of course he'd noticed she was awake, even SHE would have noticed that the girl in the backseat had woken up when said girl sat up and made the multiple noises she had. She didn't bother answering, but instead began to look around the front part of the vehicle. It was practically empty, in fact, the only item rested on the dashboard: a small wooden box. Her curiosity flared for a moment, but died quickly when she noticed the padlock sealing it shut. Obviously it wasn't for her to know. She also noticed the absence of a map, which, to her, meant one of two things: A. The mysterious man knew exactly where they were going and didn't need a map to get there. B. He was driving at random in order to find a place to dump her body. She was definitely hoping it was the latter.

However, she couldn't figure out any other reason some weirdo would kidnap her. So she sighed, figuring the only way to find any answers would be to ask some questions.

"So where are we going?" Halence tried to keep her voice as calm as she could. In her own opinion, she thought she was doing pretty well. Somehow, she managed to sound curious, without the darkening of fear touching her voice.

Again, the man didn't look at her, though he also didn't appear to be having to truly concentrate on the path of the vehicle either. His eyes held an almost bored look, or neutral, Halence couldn't decide which.

"To the airport." He said simply.

Airport. Perfect. That could only really mean one thing; they were leaving the country.

"Where will the plane take us?"

For the first time, he turned from the wheel to look back at her. She'd been right, he didn't really need to focus on the road, because the car didn't so much as stray an inch from the strait course he had chosen. She was greatly relieved that his features didn't resemble those of irritation or anger, but simply remained as neutral as it was before. No more than a second later, he had turned back to face the windshield.

"Dublin."

Halence gasped

"Dublin, Ireland?!"

For a moment, Halence forgot that she had been kidnapped, she forgot that she was in a strangers car, while the stranger drove them both to an airport that would take them away from the not only the city, but the country as well. She forgot that her life was in the hands of a man whose intentions she didn't yet know, and that she may be in inexplicable danger.

She was going to Ireland!!!!

When Halence had been a mere ten years old, she came across a romantic novel entitled "The Lyon's Gift". It had taken place in the Highlands, and from the first few lines of vivid detail, she had fallen in love when the land she had never seen. Immediately after finishing the book, she had borrowed a history of Ireland from the library. It held page after page of beautiful landscapes and misted sea sides, and when her home life had become too much to bare, she had retreated to her room, curled herself into a ball inside her favorite blanket, and lost herself in the imagery. Eventually, she had saved enough to buy the book, and, even at this moment, it was hidden under the nightstand in her room. The mere printed picture of Ireland had been her only friend, and now, through a weird string of occurrences, she was finally going to see the land for herself. Who cared if the means of travel was in the hands of her kidnapper, she was still going.

Halence, lost in her sudden glee to be going to her beloved Ireland, let out a squeal of pure joy. Suddenly, it was very hard for her to sit still. She could have gotten out of the car and ran the whole way. She doubted the stranger would approve of such an action, seeing as how he'd gone to all the trouble of stealing her away in order to have her in his possession.

As it was, he also didn't seem to enjoy her bouncing up and down on the backseat.

"Sit still woman!!!" His voice did not raise above it's normal volume,, but it was cold and demanding, and she instantly obeyed. Halence couldn't help but wonder what lengths a person would go to in order to obey such a voice. Wondered what lengths _she _would go to.

And so she sat still, chewing her lower lip. But her excitement made her antsy, and, within a few moments, she had become bored enough to risk his anger.

"Can I come sit up front? It's really boring back here." She no longer had to work to keep her voice calm, it simply was, as if she were talking to a friend…well, maybe an acquaintance.

He seemed to consider her request for a moment, as if trying to determine the potential risks of obliging. He must have decided her risk level to be a low one, because he nodded. Halence climbed over the console and plopped down in the passenger seat.

She half expected to be able to see out the windshield now that she was closer to it, as that could be the only explanation as to how the man was continuing to drive without a problem.

'The Man'. Well that was going to get annoying.

"What's your name?" Even to Halence, her voice sounded happy, and even she realized how insane this made her seem, taking into consideration she was a captive. It seemed he noticed as well. He turned to her, one of his rather blonde eyebrows raised. She only smiled in response.

Once again, he turned back to the road, leaving her to wonder if he was going to answer her.

"Demetri." He said simply.

Halence tasted it on her tongue and decided she like it, even if it did sound a little strange.

"So why are we going to Ireland? What's in Dublin?"

He sighed in exasperation.

"Shouldn't you be crying or something?"

She raised her eyebrow at him, (a talent she was _very_ proud of), and frowned.

"Why would I cry?" She asked in confusion.

When he looked at her as if to ask, '_Are you potentially psychotic?', _she tried to explain. But it was hard; she'd noticed at a young age that she didn't always think or react like other people. While one person reacted to fear by screaming their lungs strait out of their chest, she reacted by growing extremely silent, and memorizing her adversary, looking for a weakness. She'd also noticed that she had never been afraid of something that didn't have a physical form. When she was younger, Taylor, her older sister, was terrified of the dark. Halence couldn't understand, there was nothing _in _the dark, and the dark itself couldn't harm you in anyway, being merely the absence of light.

"I've been watching your movements, even in the store I was watching them, and judging by your current pattern, it doesn't seem like you intend to harm me in anyway at present. So for now, there's no reason for me to be worried, and by extension, no reason to cry."

He looked surprised at her words, and though a part of her said this was normal, to her it still seemed weird. She thought she'd said her peace as comprehensively as she possibly could. What part of it could he not have understood?

"You were watching my movements?"

"Yeah, how else would I be able to know whether or not you're a threat?"

Demetri continued to look confused, and when he spoke next, his voice showed the same quality.

"And you were able to determine whether I was a threat simply by watching my movements?"

Halence nodded. He looked at her incredulously.

"Explain." It wasn't a request. Halence was positive now that Demetri was completely used to having his orders obeyed.

Halence sighed before complying.

"When you talked to me in the store, I got goose bumps, that was the first sign that told me you weren't really the kind of person I would trust to help my grandma cross the road." She waited for him to at least smile. He didn't, and so she continued. "Then there was the way you moved. You were very," She paused, looking for the right word. "jerky. But you were only like that right before you kidnapped me. Now, your movements are smoother. If you meant to hurt me, you wouldn't be so calm."

The look of confusion didn't leave his face.

"How old are you?" Halence couldn't help but smile.

"Isn't that something one usually finds out _before _they kidnap a kid?" Demetri didn't smile, but glared at her instead. Halence found herself having to take a deep breath; she was positive that look _could_ have killed, if he'd wanted it to. "I'm 17."

Demetri shook his head. Apparently, he was astounded by something, though Halence couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"So you never answered my question. Why are we going to Dublin?"

"We're going to Dublin because I said so."

Halence didn't think that was much of an answer, but she obviously wasn't going to get a better one out of him. After awhile of staring at the blackened windows, she grew tired again, and eventually slipped back into a semi-peaceful sleep.

**Ok, so there's the next chapter. Please Rate and Review.**

**Much luv, **

**Owen Marx.**


End file.
